First Contact
by Grothnack
Summary: AU Mass Effect. How would the story be if the First Contact War never happened, as the turians stablished contact first? Now, a man in his twenties after living hell in Earth, becomes something he never thought it would happen.
1. Failure and New Life

**Hi everyone, I bring here a new story. It will be a series too, and I didn't forget the other two, I have both chapters in proccess, but the exams in real life is keeping me from doing any advance. Now, as always, I would love a Beta Reader for this story and I am trying to separate better the dialogues. I will try to improve the chapters in the rest of the stories to adapt the dialogues to become more clearer. If anyone have suggestions, please don't doubt and send me those suggestions on how make it better the story. Now, enjoy the chapter!**

It was supposed that it would be a normal mission to explore new places to gather resources and new territories. After we used a relay, we arrived at the local system, where we could see some planets, most of them were unable to hold life on its own, but would be useful for retrieving some materials. But then, one of the planets we scanned showed that there was a civilization in there, but it seemed unable to travel around the space freely yet. It would be a mission to scout how advanced was that civilization, and if their occupants were civilized, to avoid the same mistake with the yagh. I breathed, controlling my breathing to maintain my nerves in control, ready to complete my mission. The only thing I had to do is avoid being seen by other people in there, until it was decided about what to do by the Council.

\- "Ready for your mission, soldier Nazarius?" – Said the captain of the ship I was serving, Septimus Talid was his name and he was highly considered by his performance in some conflicts fighting riders and piracy from Terminus, and was expecting to serve some more years before retiring, and his years of experience made him the leader of this expedition. He had some scars, and he only had his left eye, as his right was plunged in one of the skirmish by the brute force of a krogan in his last moments.

\- "Yes, captain Talid." – I said, as I was wearing my armour and prepared to fight whatever enemy stood in my path. I was at twenty years old, having to spend other ten in the boot camp, but I was recruited to do this special mission of exploration, as this was one of my best chances to do my best and become a better soldier. My family was expecting me at home with glorious stories of this mission, and I was glad that I would have more to say than that I stayed at the ship checking the systems.

\- "Remember your mission. Avoid getting seen, and check how advanced they are. You have enough food and water for a week, and by then we will extract you. Now, go." – Talid said, as I made haste to the hangar, as the ship got into the atmosphere of that planet, and in the right altitude, I jumped off the ship, using a special feature of my armour to start slowing my descend, enough to arrive to the roof of a tall building, five floors worth. It was a coast city, with a harbour and some streets with space for vehicle to pass. At least it wasn't too much outdated. The night was clear, and most of the city would be sleeping. Or that was what I thought. I heard something unlocking, and I took cover to avoid being seen at the back of the entry of the building. Then, I saw something stepping in.

It was a humanoid form, similar to the asari. It was a male, with pale skin and with dark hair. His body showed that he wasn't in top shape, as a bit of stomach formed, but not too much noticeable. What surprised me was that he reached for the edge of the roof, holding it one moment with his hands, as he looked at the stars like looking for something. Then, he looked down, to the streets, deep in thought, but then, he jumped off, until staying at the outside of the edge, holding with his hands. That damn person was thinking of committing suicide!

\- "I shouldn't do anything…" - I thought, as I was infiltrated right now, anybody who saw me should die before something happened, and my mission must continue. But then, my body moved of its own, grabbing that person and throwing it to the ground, safe from falling to the void. I freaked a moment, thinking of how I screwed up, but that person only looked at me, with hurt in his eyes. Then, he looked at how I was, and then he opened in surprise his eyes, saying something that I couldn't understand, getting up and trying to speak to me. I only pointed with my weapon making the person freak out, but not increasing his voice. Then, he made gestures with his hands, trying to make an understanding, as saying that I lowered my weapon, that he wasn't going to do anything. It was strange, he would try to kill himself by throwing himself to the void, and then he would become afraid of dying by a weapon.

I lowered a bit my weapon, seeing how his face softened. By the look, maybe he was at his twentieth like me. Then, he made some gestures that I couldn't understand, until he start walking to the door. Now I had to decide if I killed him to keep secret my mission, or to follow him. At least one point was cleared, as that person was rational enough to make diplomacy. Then, a message of my Omni-tool showed, clearing my doubts.

\- "I saw that through the camera of your armour. Follow him, but at the sight of danger kill him." – Said that message from the captain. I hided my Omni-tool before that person turned back to me, making a wide gesture that signalled that I followed him. I nodded, and started to follow him, going down to the stairs until we reached a door he opened up, showing an apartment that had some commodities. He signalled to the sofa, probably trying to say that if I wanted to sit I could, but I stayed up, in the middle of the living room. It was small, the same as the apartment, and probably that person was living alone.

That person sighed, as he tried to say something that I couldn't understand. Then, he made a gesture that indicated an idea, as I raised an eyebrow that was hide by my mask, as he reached for a paper and some type of writing material, and wrote something and gave it to me. The words were strange, but I decided to scan it with my visor and send it to the Omni-Tool, trying to translate it. Then, the words came out, seeming like some rules of the language used in the planet, probably trying to facilitate the communication between us. I worked a moment in the Omni-Tool, and provided itself with a translator using the basic algorithm provided by that person, that was waiting patiently, but showing that he was nervous.

Finally, the app finished building, and started functioning. – "Do you understand me?" – I said, trying to see if the app worked, and by the surprised face of that person I could tell that it worked. Then, he seemed to snap out of the shock enough to be able to speak again, but still a bit shaken… maybe because he was going to kill himself before or by my presence.

\- "Yes, I was surprised, that's all. And thank you for saving me, I was going to commit something that I shouldn't do…" - He said, smiling weakly, but with honesty and uncertainty of where to look, probably trying to see my eyes without success thanks to my helmet. Then, after a few moments, he decided to get at the matter at hand, surely trying to understand things.

\- "Well… probably you aren't from this planet, so… maybe some introductions are in order." – He said while probably thinking on the next step. I stayed silent, letting that person take the initiative to see where it would end, since it was better for us to avoid getting into problematic or complicated explanations.

\- "I am Marcus, and I am twenty years old. In terms of species you would call us human." – He said, presenting himself, but not giving out details. It was a nice start, as now we could call their species by a name. Then, before I said anything, something started to ring, as the human called Marcus groaned before checking a device and turning it down as he gestured to me it was nothing.

\- "I am Vyrnnus Nazario, and I am as you would call us a turian. I must tell you that my presence must stay in secret, or I may be forced some drastic measures." – I said, pointing at him again to make my point, as he nodded nervous I lowered my weapon again. Probably that was coercing it a bit, and maybe it will strain the relationship, but it was a necessity for the moment.

\- "Well, don't worry. Even if I told anyone, I doubt somebody would believe me either way." – He said, with a glimpse of sadness… I decided to avoid prying in the matter, since it wouldn't be good. I sighed, feeling a bit hot under my helmet, surely because the temperature in this planet or in this part was higher than in the rest of the planet. But I couldn't let him know my exact form of my face, not until I got clearance. It was already a bad thing that he knew of my existence, and I intended to avoid giving more information than necessary.

\- "Surely you would want to sleep or rest a bit… Should I prepare a bed?" – He said, making me raise an eyebrow, startled at the fact that he was going to offer me shelter. I only nodded, making him retreat to the interior of the house, surely to prepare the bed or something else for me to rest. Meanwhile, I reached for the controller of the television, similar to what was in the Citadel for the people who wanted the old technology, and I turned it on, showing the midnight news. The news were sending information about an economic crisis, and some terrorism made by racism.

\- "Again that? That's the third time this week." – The boy I saved said, wearing his pyjamas and looking through his glasses at the television. It was clear that this planet have some internal problems of government, as it seemed that it couldn't avoid fighting between them. It reminded me of the krogan in that aspect, but at least not every human was like that. I looked at him, but he gave a yawn, probably tired and wanting to sleep. I turned down the television as I followed him to the room he assigned to me. It was a good room, had a bed and a good quantity of books to read, with some other things that seemed videogames, and a computer.

\- "I will wake up at six in the morning and leave for classes. I will return near the time to eat." – He said, as I took a moment to observe him better. He wasn't fit, but wasn't that bad, since he had good shoulders and legs, and a bit of muscle in the arms despite the fat. But what called my interest was that he was avoiding put weight on one of his legs.

\- "Are you hurt? I could treat you." – I said, but he shook his head, as he waved his hand before giving me a good night and went to his room. It was strange, he didn't had any type of clear wound from the form I saved him, and not in a way his leg would be damaged. And I could see that his left arm was hanging a bit loose… But it wasn't my call to answer, if he got hurt before it was his problem, not mine. I just sat in the bed, before spreading myself feeling the comfort of the bed even when I was wearing my armour, and I fell asleep, trying to relax before obtaining more information tomorrow.

At the next morning, I yawned before searching the house. As Marcus said, he was out, so I could search for things and speak to my captain if needed without indiscreet ears. Of course, I couldn't make a noise to avoid alarming the neighbourhood, but I could say that I hit the jackpot. I opened communications with my captain, which looked unpleasant… but that was expected since I blew the covert operation.

\- "I said to avoid any contact… now we have to be careful since we take this opportunity. What did you learnt?" – The captain said, with a bit of an angry voice, but at least he knew that I could solve this mess up, and learn at a faster speed about this world, even though the thing of that boy and how to avoid problems later on was going to become something to solve in the future.

\- "I could see the local news. It seems that the world is at war, as the terrorism is pretty common here. And there is a financial crisis too. And I could develop a translator to speak with him, since he wrote down some rules of the language here to scan. And the race in this planet calls themselves humans." – I said, expecting that this would suffice the information obtained at the moment. The captain was in thought, checking the information recompiled, but it seemed that he had some questions.

\- "And the human? How is it?" – The captain asked, probably wanting to know about what to do about him. It wasn't a bad person, but he seemed off by a big amount. First trying to throw himself from the roof, and then hiding that he had injuries. I wasn't a detective, but even a vorcha would know that something was off about him.

\- "I don't know. He seems kind, and intelligent. But he had injuries, and he appears to be on the edge, since I saved him from suicide." – I said clearly, and then another silence. Then, the captain ordered me to keep him informed, and shut off the communication to let me work. I started searching again the house, reaching for the computer in the room Marcus assigned to me, and turned it on to search about things in the computer. At first, the documents seemed like normal homework, until I found a directory with a password, easy to crack and see its contents that froze my blood. In a hurry, I stablished again communication to the captain.

\- "I got info about the human… Now I know what was off. He is receiving what it seems similar treatment to a slave. He keeps getting hit, and those people make him do their work. It says that even if he tries to do anything to bring them justice, he ends up worse because they put him like a psycho or worse… He definitely reached the breaking point last night… Hell, it even says that he didn't spoke properly to someone else in six years… "- I spoke, terrified as I read the contents. It described every physical abuse he received, and every type of prank that increased in dangers, including lying to him about seeming interested in him for love and then breaking his heart as trying to throw him to the traffic to let a car crash into him. And that was for the part of people not related to him.

The documents spoke about his parents, his mother dead and his father was a tyrant that deprived him of every chance of selecting a path by himself, as if the father had the string of the life of his own son, and only spoke to him to tell horrible insults and redirecting his life without paying attention to the health of his son. I sent all the documents to the captain, and the order was clear, but it would need to wait for the permission of the Council. It would take some hours, but until Marcus came back at his home, it was time to kill and research for the rest of the world.

The fruits of the information I searched on the net was enough to tell that it would take years to the humans to stablish contact to another species, sufficient time to let the Council prepare for negotiation. My stomach rumbled as I saw the hour in the computer, seeing as it was the hour of lunch. I reached for a dextro-bar in my bag, eating it to fill my stomach. Then, I heard the door open, and I stayed still until the door closed. I was about to say something before I heard something crashing to the floor. I looked from the corner, in case someone entered with Marcus, but then I saw how Marcus was on the floor, making a pool of blood.

I ran towards him, as I reached for my medi-gel to start healing him. I could see that this time, those people went too far. The face of Marcus was impossible to recognize, and he had shards of glass in the face, along with his glasses broken. His clothes were ragged and cut, as some deep cuts were in his arms, shoulders and legs. And for the worst part, it seemed that a deep cut was made towards his chest, having a deep hole in there that was treated badly. Even with medi-gel, he wouldn't resist if he didn't receive any medical treatment soon. I stablished contact again with the captain, as I made arrangements to take him… Yes, this mission wasn't going as planned, but something was nagging me in my mind that I shouldn't let him die. I took him with my hands as I reached the roof in a hurry, where in a moment the reinforcement took us and started to give proper medical treatment.

After a few moments, we reached the ship, and the medics took Marcus to the medical wing to start the operation. The first impression was bad… he was going to be lucky if he lived through the surgery. I sat in the chair, in front of my captain as he had permission of the Council to bring only one person with his consent to the Citadel, to start the negotiations and learn if the humans were capable of adjusting themselves to the life at the Citadel. Without knowing, Marcus was going to become the first human to set foot in the Citadel, and become an ambassador… This was going to be quite a mes…


	2. A New Future

**Hi everyone! I got the inspiration again, I can't avoid it xD. Now I am designing characters for this story, and surely I will have a field day relating to the asari, salarian and turian names that don't appear in the game xD. And another field is how the heck I will unite Earth to even start right negotiations. As always, I am open to suggestions, and reviews are welcomed, as well as I am looking for a Beta Reader. Now, enjoy the chapter!**

 _Nazarus POV_

It was now a few hours since we left that planet, and the medics were still operating Marcus from his wounds. Sometimes, they would go out to rest a bit while other medic entered to replace it, and then we would get news about his situation. It was worse than only the wounds, he got some break bones that needed settlement and were poorly treated, and fatigue probably due to lack of sleep. Now I was in the captain's room, in front of his desk with him sorting some documents one moment before looking at me with serious eyes, that indicated something was going on…

\- "It's like a miracle he is still alive. I finished reading all those documents with the help of a translator, and I have to say that it's clear that he is strong… Not much people would resist that for such amount of time without breaking." – The captain said with a serious tone, but maybe a bit of respect for the human. I had to admit that he surpassed most turian soldier in terms of resisting pain and psychological damage, but surely nobody would expect that, and at such age. But there were more problems ahead, as Marcus would have to be the ambassador of his entire race, even for those who mistreated him in that way. Maybe time will tell what would happen.

\- "And things won't go easier for him… Maybe with a bit of help, it will be okay, but I think the shock will be big." – I said, worried about everything that human would have to face. Probably he would be looked down for another races, and surely the krogan would give more than one problem if he encountered them without prior knowledge… It would take a while, but first Marcus needed to gather knowledge about everything. And surely he would need some clothes when we reached the Citadel, I highly doubted that the spare clothes for turians would fit for him.

\- "Well, first he have to rest… It will take some time until we reach the Citadel, so let's rest a bit." – The captain said, making the conversation over, and I went to the crew quarters, wanting to get some rest… because surely I would have to answer some questions later with the rest of the crew about that human, and how I screwed up the mission… or not in this case, I wasn't so sure about it.

 _Marcus POV_

I was feeling the pain over my body, as my mind was clouded with a familiar feeling of a narcotic… I was accustomed to that medicine, I had to take it almost every day to sever the pain of the bashing I received from those people. But it was strange, I didn't thought that I took today that medicine, and I needed some bandages in my body, as the cuts were big… I started to open my eyes, as I saw a steel ceiling, and I felt that this wasn't my typical bed. My view was clouded too, I couldn't discern anything except that strange ceiling… and I felt my throat dry… How much time was I sleeping?

Then, some voice said something I couldn't understand, as I heard some steps coming for my position. Then, I saw something looking at me, but I couldn't see it too well… it appeared to be a person, and he started to check on me, using something that was strange… Soon, my eyes started to focus, but I couldn't focus too much… It was a pain that, but I was sure it would fade soon and I would start seeing again, when I recovered my glasses to see well.

That voice spoke again, but I couldn't understand what it said either, and then my eyes started to really see, and a watched at the face of the medic that treated me, in shock. It was almost like a bird mixed with a human, and parched its features with metal and some paintings in the face. It was strange seeing it like that, and in my mind I was screaming like crazy, both scared and amused. Scared because maybe I was going to suffer from experiments, and amused because I was in front of some aliens that was supposed to be a myth.

\- "Where am I?" – I tried to ask, but failed as I coughed a bit and feeling my throat hurt from the lack of water. And I was feeling weak too, I couldn't even get up or sit in that bed. The alien looked at me, but he seemed to understand what I said… another time, I would have thought that the translation software would do the trick, but now I was feeling so tired that I closed again my eyes, wanting to drift to dreams. Then I felt something in my back, helping me to get up and I opened again my eyes, only to see how a glass of water was offered to me, pulling the glass towards my mouth and started to drop the water inside, as I started to drink it like I didn't drink in ages. It felt well, as my throat was feeling refreshed. After I finished the water, he dropped me gently again, as I drifted in my sleep to the dreams…

I woke up again, and felt better, less pain than before, and less weak. At least, I could sit on the bed. I could see the alien medics working and checking on me from time to time. It was feeling strange, they didn't seem to do anything strange like trying to do some experiments, and weren't using some security to maintain me without doing anything. Then, I could see how the door opened, as two more of those aliens entered. One of them was wearing an armour that familiar, but I couldn't remember where. The other was more intimidating, as he had only one eye.

\- "How are you, Marcus?" – The less intimidating spoke, and I could identify the voice. He was the alien that I spoke back in my house, and I could recall that his species was called turians, so now I had something to categorize them. And if I recalled correctly, his name was Vyrnnus Nazario… And if I guessed correctly, I wasn't precisely on Earth anymore… so I was in more problem than I bargained for.

\- "I think I am better than before…" - I said, looking at them and smiling a bit. It was true, since I could see better, and without glasses. And I could say that after I checked myself that the fat I had disappeared, so maybe what they did was beneficial for me in a way. I heard a sigh, as the other one started to spoke with one of the medics, in that idiom that I couldn't understand. I would really need to start learning their language, since I couldn't try to do everything with signs…

\- "Well, you bet. When we took you here, your body was a mess, our medics did a good job healing you." – He said, but I could feel an angry tone in his voice. It was new, and made me flinch, as I knew inside of me that something was off… Then, it hit me that the medical check-up would give it away almost every injurie I had, so surely I had to start speaking… but I didn't know how to do it, and surely he didn't read the documents I had in the computer…

\- "Well, that-" – I started, but then Vyrnnus hit the table near me, making me flinch again. His face was one of concern and rage… surely something was going to happen, maybe because I did something to betray him, but I couldn't remember exactly what I did to do that, since I didn't tell anybody about his presence in Earth, so if there was a fight down there, I didn't know the reason.

\- "Don't give me an excuse. I read those documents you had in the computer. You weren't fine. Dammit, you tried to kill yourself! Why didn't you go to the authorities!?" – He shouted at me, as my face turned grim and looked away. He did see the documents, and read them… Now, I had to say everything, and maybe I would feel better… I didn't know if it would, but it was worth a try.

\- "In fact, I tried. But they said that I didn't have proofs, that I made those injuries on accidents or by myself without listening to me." – I said, with a sad smile. The rest of the medics were looking at us, and the other turian, the one with only one eye, approached us with also a grim face, maybe because he did read too those documents. Not that I cared now, since it was open to everyone that wanted to hear to know about me.

\- "And witnesses? There should be anybody who could speak. You could have asked for help!" – Vyrnnus said again, trying to get a hold of why I had to suffer, and something inside of me snapped… I really had to shout everything, and it was like a dam breaking apart, letting all the water flow without control. Maybe it would do something good to me, since I didn't have anybody that even cared about me in the first place.

\- "Because I couldn't! Every person I tried to become friend became a bully or worse! And the only person I truly trusted I had to destroy our friendship to save him from my father, since he decided that it was a distraction that needed to be eliminated! I had no one! And even if I fought back, they would sue me for damaging them, and I would end up in prison instead!" – I yelled at Vyrnnus, who step back at my rage for a moment, and the medics came towards me, holding me to avoid getting hurt in that rage, since I wanted to even punch him in the face, but I was too tired right now to do so.

\- "So tell me, what could I do?" – I finally said, with tears in my eyes, as I looked away. I didn't felt any better, I didn't even know if something I said was worth the time for that. I just wanted to know what to do. Then, I felt a hand in my shoulder, and as I turned to see who was placing it, I saw the other turian, the one with only one eye, looking at me with something I never saw before… I couldn't identify that look, but then, I felt how he pulled me into a comforting hug. I tried to pull back, but I didn't have enough strength to do it, apart from that this hug wasn't mean to crush my ribs, it was gentle…

\- "You did everything you can. If you want, you won't go back there, but there is something you have to do." – That man said, removing himself from the hug, and looking directly to my eyes. He was offering me a way out of that living hell, but there was something else… I didn't know what to think about it, but I was desperate enough and high on the pain killers to ever think on that, the only thing I saw was a door open to become free of that hell.

\- "Where do I have to sign?" – I asked directly, making that turian look surprised. Maybe he wasn't expecting that quick answer. But he recomposed quickly, looking dead serious. Was it something so dangerous that would make me think again that answer? I expected not, but either way, I didn't even know what they would make me do, but nothing could beat the perspective of fleeing that Hell on Earth I was living.

\- "If you want to come with us, you will have to take a certain role… As an ambassador of your entire planet. When you arrive onto the Citadel, you will have to speak for every living being in your homeworld. Are you sure you want that?" – The turian said, as my mind entered into shock… I… a boy that recently was nearing his death, if I wanted to flee from that hell, I had to become the ambassador of the world I was born… and that was saying much. It wouldn't only be speaking to another species, it would be trying to convince every leader in Earth to unite for the negotiations…

\- "Well… I know that it will be hard, more after I tell you some things about my world. But I accept. If I go back now, I will end up even worse, and I think that the medics here won't be able to help then. And not every human back there is that bad, I won't judge all the people, only the ones I know, so I would like to give them the chance to travel to the space." – I said, receiving stunned looks from Vyrnnus and the other turian. The medics were stunned too, but I think that was because they were processing the information of the offer to become the human ambassador, than my answer. Then, I heard a laugh coming from the turian in front of me.

\- "Well, you have guts kid. My name is Septimus Talid, captain of this ship. We will try to help you in a way, but then, you will have to work your way in the Citadel. By the moment, rest now." – He said, before letting the medics start again to do some check-ups and before I noticed, I was falling asleep again… with a new life in front of me and an empty stomach to deal with it until I reached the Citadel… Probably when I wake up I will have to make plans…


	3. Reaching the Citadel

**Hello everyone, sorry for being so late to put this chapter, but I had a hell of a writer blocks for most of my stories. I am trying to unlock that block, and I think this chapter is good, not the best, but enough to give some more things to think about how to approach the council.**

 **As always, I look for a Beta Reader for most of my stories, and soon I will try to make new chapters for the rest. Now, enjoy the chapter and as always, reviews are welcome!**

 _Marcus POV_

I awoke again, in the same bed, but now I was feeling alright to move. The medics in the room started to check-up again to make sure I was alright to go, and I was starting to feel a bit impatient about that quantity of check-up. I knew that I was a new species, but all that time checking up my body was making me feel uneasy. But then, Vyrnnus came to the med-bay and dragged me out of the reach of those medics; something that I was grateful. But then, I thought about a main problem I had, and it was my clothes. The clothes I was wearing when they helped me surely won't be helpful, since they were covered in blood and had some cuts in where I was hit with that knife…

\- "Don't worry, when we reach the Citadel they are supposed to give you some clothes. Meanwhile, we are going to equip you with the basic supplies." – He said, while we were walking to some part of the ship. I couldn't avoid staring in awe how the ship was, even though I started to hide it a bit since the stares of the resto of the turians looking at me were evident that I was making a fuss over nothing. But I couldn't avoid that… I was flying in a goddam space ship! If someone told me before I was going to be travelling to space in the future, I would have said that he should leave me alone, but now I was receiving a new life, but with some conditions of course… It was going to be a living hell trying to convince every country to unify in one organization, which would be willing to do some diplomacy with the turians and another alien races in the galaxy.

Finally, we reached a place that seemed like a storage, where there were a lot of weapons and armours, with lots of boxes that I could guess that had more weapons or tools. At least, if something happened, this ship was ready to defend itself with a lot of weaponry, so I could say that the turians were mostly military, but that was only a guess since I was only seeing one ship in the inside. Then, one of those turians approached me, and started saying something that I couldn't understand. I raised an eyebrow, and I looked at Vyrnnus, that started to speak in the same language, being unable to understand a thing. After a while, the other turian went at one of those boxes, and got something like a bracelet, with some plugs that looked a bit strange, and approached me with that thing. I step back, not knowing what to do, but definitely not wanting to be an experiment.

\- "Don't worry. We want to give you an omnitool, we all have it so don't worry. With it, you will be able to understand us better, and the same for us." – Vyrnnus said, grabbing my arm gently, but I flinched a bit, removing myself from the physical contact. Vyrnnus raised what I supposed an eyebrow, but I didn't care about it. – "Alright…" - I said without enthusiasm, as I approached the other turian, and extended my left arm, where he put the bracelet, and then he started to make the connexion, putting those plugs in some parts of my body, one of them in my neck. I flinched a bit from the pain as the plug entered inside, but then it healed quickly, and the omnitool shined, enveloping my left arm, before disappearing.

\- "Well, do you understand me now?" – Said the other turian, and started laughing as I just opened my jaw in amazement. This was a gold mine, at least in Earth this would sell by millions, as it let people communicate without problems or language barriers. – "Okay, close your mouth before we have to glue it. My name is Mehkuri Pallin, the intendent of all this. One soldier need a weapon, I provide it, as I did with you on that omnitool. Vyrnnus already put the back-up from your computer back on Earth inside the omnitool, so you have all the data. But you won't be able to contact your planet yet, we need to build some way to contact to that system better. Now, let's start teaching you how to control it." – Said the turian, as I just sent a tiny smile. It seemed nice and surely he was using me to avoid getting bored in the ship, but that last part was for me too, if I didn't stay here learning I was sure I would be again in the hands of those doctors.

\- "My name is Marcus. Glad to be able to communicate with you now, and with everybody for that fact." – I said, before he started to explain me step by step how to control it. It was more of focusing with my mind what I wanted more than controlling it with my own hand, except for some process that were necessary, and mostly for muscle memory to be able to control it better. It was a pain that there weren't any helmets for listening to music, but surely I would be able to obtain things in the place they were taking me. Mehkuri was funny sometimes, and was a good teacher and easy to talk a bit, but soon Vyrnnus was called, saying that the other turian, Septimus Talid if I remembered correctly that was the captain of the ship, calling me to speak with him.

\- "See you." – I said, before turning off my omnitool, trying to avoid turning it on with an unconscious move. After a while, were in the travel I could start hearing exactly what they said and mostly was about me, but it was a different whisper that I was used to, it was curiosity in its finest, not menacing, not hostile… only plain curiosity. It was an improvement from the Earth to say the least. But I felt too strange only with the gown of the infirmary, and surely my old clothes were too damaged to be used again… When I reached the door of the captain's room, Vyrnnus retreated quickly, leaving me in front of the door without backup… And without knowledge of how to open the damn door, so I decided the typical part of knocking the door two times to see if that called him.

\- "Its open" – Said the voice of Septimus Talid, but the problem is that I didn't know how to open it, but there was in the centre of the door a green circle… I activated the omnitool and approached it to the circle, making some type of recognition before opening it. The chamber was spacious, as had even its own bathroom, and a workplace with some things. It was definitely an improvement of what I supposed would be the rest of the rest chambers with the soldiers and other crew of the ship.

\- "Well, we will reach in half an hour the Citadel, and I wanted to speak with you about some things we will do. First, you will go to the hospital Huerta Memorial for a full check-up and vaccines. After that, you will receive some clothes that will be adapted from the asari, and will go to the council to speak with them about some things, mostly about your placement in here and how will things go." – He said, while making a sign for me to sit in one of the chairs, so I sat, while trying to process how I would do everything. I was at clearly disadvantage, because I didn't had anything to offer, but they had every right and things I would need. And surely, they would expect someone with experience, not a kid that only had the basic education to go to university, and that education possibly was outdated right now.

\- "I understand, but… I feel at disadvantage. I have to speak representing all my planet, and I don't even know what they will expect me to do. And don't get me started to convince my own home-world…" - I said, pinching my nose a bit to clear a bit the headache I was feeling right now. I expected that more headaches would come in some moments, and wouldn't go away until the situation settled in one way or another. But one thing I got right, is that I wouldn't be like every damn politician in my home-world, always saying lies after lies. Hell, if I got some honesty and sincerity from someone in my damn life back on Earth I wouldn't be there at the moment, and I doubted that everyone would be rescued by an explorer turian ship like myself.

\- "One step at a time. First, the first meeting I don't think that you will do much, surely they will ask questions, but won't be anything like asking your people to do something as you don't have the support. They are already informed of everything about you." – He said, making my blood feel cold inside my body. More people pitying me, alright… well, it was going to last for a while, and after that surely I won't have to worry about that part until much later, and better clear the air before they discovered, and if they knew it wouldn't be that bad to try to strike a deal of cooperation for a while. I sighed, trying to avoid thinking it too much, but I would gladly do something else, to make busy my mind.

\- "Ok… Can I ask you some questions? I want to know a bit of the space here, how is the government, what species are here… You know, to avoid my face being stuck in surprise every damn time, I doubt that they would like someone whose mouth is always hanging." – I said, trying to make a joke by the end but not receiving a laugh from that was enough to stop trying… I needed to do better, my social expertise is next to none, if you don't count chatting with the people on internet, but then they couldn't see you.

\- "Good try, but not the moment. About your questions, I will try to explain briefly. The government as you call it, is the Council, made by the turians; as you know by now all the crew of this ship except you is turian, the asari; who are similar to you but all females, blue and mostly diplomatic, and the salarians, whose you might think that are similar to amphibians but are extremely intelligent and logical. The three species decide their representative and is named councillor, and they decide the laws in the Citadel and some common rules, but our planets have their own form of government and laws."- He started explaining, and I had the impulse of activating my omnitool to start making notes, adding my thoughts about those races, surely coming in handy later when I had the time to review them. Septimus continued explaining, without worrying about what I seemed to write in a note in my omnitool.

\- "There are more races, like the krogan or the batarians, but they are far less common in the Citadel. The krogans are usually violent, pretty much the same of the batarians, but the hanar and volus are fairly sociable, and the volus are very good managing resources and money, while the hanars are mostly peaceful." – He said, and was about to continue when the intercom of the ship started to say that we were reaching to the Citadel, and Septimus chuckled a bit. – "Come with me, you will enjoy your first glimpse of the Citadel." – He said, getting up, and I made the same, following him to the place the pilot was doing his way. As soon as I reached, a conjunct laugh of Septimus and the pilot was made, as I had my mouth open in awe as I saw the Citadel. - _"Holly shit, this is awesome!" –_ Was the only thought I could have at the moment. If I didn't knew that the turians would get me to the hospital for a complete check-up I would have started running through all the Citadel like a kid trying to see everything… Hell, I could do it later in my free time either way!

\- "I think that they will find that mouth open either way, but nice try." – Septimus said, making me to close my mouth and send him a glare as he laughed. I sighed, but I couldn't stop smiling at the view of the Citadel, which was going to be my new home for a good time… or all my life for that matter if I think it well enough. I started using my omnitool trying to find something remotely to helmets, and then I saw how it unplugged what it seemed some of those helmets that I used to have for listening music, so I put them quickly in my ears and put one of the songs of Lindsey Stirling; which was called Roundtable Rival, and I started to relax a bit when the violin started to play in my ears, but I couldn't not notice how Septimus was looking at me, a bit surprised.

\- "It helps me relax listening music. I will pass some songs if you want." – I said, while the song was still playing, feeling better right now. Always listening to music let me relax a bit, and now it continued to help me. At least it was something precious to me, like a companion… Wait… this could become an advantage, at least in the cultural part. And I should revise my carpet of downloads in the omnitool, to check if I had those mangas… not, better delete them quickly… again, it's too late if they already checked them and better don't say anything about those manga… I checked quickly the download carpet, and saw that the manga weren't there… I sighed relaxing a bit that none of those manga went out to the public. Soon, the ship went to the hangar, and a stretcher was there, and Septimus smiled at me…

\- "Again no, please…" – I said, but soon I was being almost forced to comply with rest in that stretcher, being transported to the hospital without a say in the matter. It wasn't something bad, they cared for my health, but I didn't like that they forced me to turn off the omnitool and stop listening to my music. And it didn't help that most of the time in the stretcher what I could see was an elevator that was so slow that I nearly found myself sleeping. But soon, I was in the hospital, and I could get a glimpse of what were the asari and salarians… I had to close my mouth myself again to avoid being offensive in a way, mostly because all the asari had a gorgeous body that put some of the human models to shame, and the salarians were strange to the view. Soon, I was transported to a room that had a bed, with two people inside already, what I supposed to be doctors.

\- "Hello, now we will be doing the check-up, and will add the vaccines and repair in few hours what we can. My name is Seryna Dantius, and this is my colleague Ledra." – The asari said with a reassuring smile, before resuming looking at the data she had in what was a notebook but a bit more advanced for what I could guess. Then, the salarian called Ledra went directly to guide me to the bed, making me sit in there and start seeing my wounds, now treated, before going to a table in the room, that contained what I supposed the medical tools needed for the check-up and what Seryna said to heal me up.

– "High grade wounds, now treated. Got in a fight? Probably, but some of them old, not signs of self-defence. A type of punishment? High probability. Malnourishment present, but only for a few months, not presence of growth stunt. Not sign of sexual abuse too, probably check for metal scars, but he seems by the data alright." – He said in a quick pace, making me feel a bit lost but scared at the precision of those statements, and that was only with a damn quick look at my body without touching my skin, nor using the omnitool for the check-up. Then, he looked at Seryna, and nodded.

\- "What we will do is heal some things, like your eyesight, and repairing some of bad healed ribs or cavities, nothing too complicated nor painful. After that, we will add the vaccines and you will have to eat this nutrient supplement for a month while following a diet, which is not strict as it seemed since you have a good diet already. After that, you will have to come once a week to follow your progress and react if something react badly. You already have my contact in your omnitool, if you need to ask me anything. But before we start, do you have any type of genetic problem or health problem apart from the wounds and the malnourishment?" – She said with a polite tone, and everything seemed reasonable, but at the perspective of the needles I wasn't so sure about everything right now. At least, they are not taking samples of my body without my consent.

\- "Well, I don't have allergies that I know of, and probably a bit of a headache, but nothing too problematic." – I said, trying to avoid it being a problem, but then Seryna started to do some checks with her omnitool, and gasped in surprise, and as Ledra approached he looked surprised too. – "What happen? Is bad?" – I asked, a bit scared that I already got something problematic in my body. I only expected that what happen to me was something like the common flu of this place, or I would have problems.

\- "It's not bad, in fact it's good but you will have to go by surgery." – Seryna said with a smile, but I frowned at the perspective of going by an operation already. – "How can it be good if I have to go by surgery?" – I asked, feeling confused a bit. Maybe their hobby was making people go through surgery, but then, I wouldn't be able to do anything by that at the moment. She smiled, while a silence was made, and the silence broke when Vyrnnus entered in the room.

\- "Ey, what happen? Something wrong with the boy?" – He said, a bit worried, but then Seryna let him look at that analysis and he opened his mouth in surprise, hanging it while looking at me for a moment. – "Are you sure about this?" – He asked, only for Seryna nodding in affirmation. I was feeling distressed by now, and I wanted answers soon.

\- "What is going to happen to me?" – I asked, feeling scared, but then, Vyrnnus laughed. – Marcus, congratulations on being the first human with biotic powers. – He said, making me incline my head without understanding what he was saying.

\- "What?" – I said, don't feeling like I understood completely… But one thing was sure, apparently I got powers and I didn't know until now… That was something really strange and it was only the beginning.


	4. Markets and a Krogan

**Finally I got to finish this chapter! It was stuck in my mind, and I couldn't got it to be written xD. Well, I will try to upload chapters more frequently, but I don't promise it, because I am nearing the exams and I have to study. Strange that when I got inspiration, is the worst time to do it... Well, as always I am looking for a Beta Reader for most of my stories to check on my grammar. Now, enjoy the chapter!**

 _Nazarius POV_

The situation was laughable, as I did. The kid was getting a lot more than he bargained, starting with being an ambassador, and then getting the chance of being able to do some biotic powers. The dumbfound face that Marcus was giving was enough of making me laugh hard, even though the glare that he sent to me was something that made me laugh even harder. It was clear that if someone didn't speak soon, he would burst a blood vessel of anger of being laughed at.

\- "Biotic is the control of the dark matter. Practically, you can control some neat stuff with your mind, like telekinesis and so on. Of course, you need an amp to control it, which is why you need the surgery." – I said, making Marcus start gaping at me… Well, if he didn't stop making that face it would be stuck like that until the surgery, and that face with the frequency it appeared was going to be a bit difficult to make the meeting successful if it didn't disappear sooner rather than later.

\- "But how did I get to have biotics? And the surgery is risky?" – Marcus said, with a tint of worry in his voice. It was something clear, and surely the unknown was eating him alive. Hell, in the expedition I was nervous because we were exploring a new space system without any type of prior knowledge. Some of our comrades inside the ship broke down because of that, and I could see the signs that were starting to form in Marcus, but he seemed to control it better than most soldiers. And the question he made was a good one, since the process is that the element zero affected the baby inside the mother, and then the probabilities were more likely to be a cancer than biotics.

\- "Well, in one moment when your mother was pregnant with you, she was affected by the element zero, affecting you in the process. And the surgery is risk free, a routine, but we will have to wait until you are better in the physical department." – Seryna said with a smile, trying to reassure Marcus, but the frown in his face was saying that he didn't like the thought of having to go to surgery and dealing with everything. I sighed, already guessing that he was thinking about how he would deal with it at the moment, since he had the meeting with the Council sooner than he wanted, and I couldn't say something to reassure him that everything would be fine. Then, he looked like he got an idea, starting to check his omni-tool, probably searching for something, and it looked like he found something good.

\- "I understand… How much time I have to prepare for the meeting? I can't go in the hospital gown…" – He said, making a really good point. His clothes weren't exactly useful in this moment; they were covered in blood, and it wasn't exactly the time to go checking all the shops looking for clothes. I sighed, trying to think about how to proceed, but then my omni-tool started to signal a communication from my captain, so I had to drop the conversation right now, leaving him at the mercy of the doctors as I went through the door.

\- "Here soldier Nazarius." – I said, receiving immediate answer in form of the voice of my captain, which seemed a bit annoyed. That was rare, he was known for his patience, so if something annoyed him was worth looking into it.

\- "At ease soldier. How is it going the check-up of the human?" – He asked, removing his annoyed tone from his voice. Possibly it wasn't something related to this, so I removed my concern about it.

\- "Well, some things our medics already knew, but after looking into it, they discovered he had biotic potential, so he will need at least an operation to deal with it without problems. The rest is only typical therapy for a while, although he will need a specific diet for some months to deal with the malnourishment." – I said, while I took a look at him. He still looked rather pale, and possibly he would stay like that for a good amount of time.

\- "Well, a pack of clothes is going to your location, be sure to give them to him. Take the day free to show him around the Citadel until the 18:00. At that time, take him to the Embassies. Dismissed." – The captain said, and before I got to say something, he cut off the communication, making it rather difficult to even agree to that plan. I looked at the time, and I could see that we had some hours to spend, so I checked some things while the doctors finished with him.

After a while, I got the clothes that the captain sent, and put them in the room without noticing, and in ten minutes, the doctors were finished giving prescriptions and giving bills to the budget of the ship; who's those bills would go to another part, and set free Marcus already changed. These clothes were a damn better sight that the medical gown, and even if they were adapted from turian clothes, they fitted him rather good. It was some black trousers with grey shoes, and a white shirt with a black jacket. He adapted the part normally used to put some parts of our body as a hood.

\- "A damn better sight you are now." – I said, earning a timid smile from him.

\- "Thanks… I will take care of these clothes until I can pay you for everything." – He said, making me frown at that. Normally the people wouldn't even think about it in this situation, or even thinking about paying at all.

\- "No need to pay up. Consider them a gift. Now, how do you like the sound of me showing you around the Citadel?" – I said, and the look in his face was enough answer. At least, he looked like he loved to do tourism, or getting to know new things. A good thing for being an ambassador, don't being afraid of learning things of other races.

\- "Of course I want it! I looked most of the lore I could about it, and I am wishing to see everything the Citadel can offer." – He said, and surely he would wish to have a lot of eyes to look at everything. I couldn't avoid chuckling a bit about that thought.

\- "Well then. What about going to the markets? Afterwards we can go to a restaurant to eat or a bar." – I said, starting to walk. He followed suit, going inside the elevator to go out of the hospital, and then we were out in the streets, plagued with activity. There were a lots of people right now, salarians, turians, asaris, some krogan and I could see maybe a quarian in the mix. Of course, the volus were the main shopkeepers in most of the market. By the looks of incredulity and awe he was like a child in a bakery, wanting a sweet.

\- "It seems you already are enjoying this." – I said, as I stopped a moment in a shop of gifts of the Citadel, to look at some things they sold, and to let Marcus wander a bit in the shop to see if something caught his eyes. He smiled, but turned a bit sad.

\- "Yeah, but I wish Kardak was here. He would be enjoying a lot." – He said, surprising me. Wasn't he supposed to be alone in his home world? He caught my curious face; or I suppose he did, since he sighed, like resigned to something he didn't want to do but had to.

\- "I will explain it later." – He said before returning his attention to the products. I maintained the silence, since it wasn't good that I tried to force the answers. Sufficient that I took a look at his notes of depression and nearly suicide, and was something I didn't want to repeat. Finally, he didn't caught anything and departed from the shop, wandering on the markets. Sometimes, we stopped a while to check some things, like electronics or some libraries, but apart from that it was more like looking the activity in the market.

Finally, it was time and we went to a nearby bar. I asked for some food, and then I started to notice something that I should have known better… Most of the people were staring at Marcus, and it was something normal. He was hiding a bit with his hood on his head, a bit timid since he was receiving all the stares.

\- "Don't worry. It will pass, and better now than later." – I said, removing his hood gently, receiving a glare but he kept silent and looking at the table; and it didn't make it better that a krogan nearby was staring like a fish to Marcus from his seat, like he was analysing something. I would have to keep an eye from mercenary or criminals wanting a piece of Marcus because he was some "eccentricity".

\- "Well, I promised that I would explain my comment from the shop." – Marcus said, looking a bit sad, before taking a sip of his drink. It was plain water, as we didn't know what things he could eat from other species without dangers. At least, by the analysis from the doctors, he had a diet that it was feasible, so I already knew what to get to him. But my attention was to the things he would explain right now.

\- "Kardak was a friend I made on the net. I never met him on person, but he was always cheering me or making me laugh or trying to make me go to things like parties. He was impulsive, head strong when an idea got into his head, and always going first in things. In games, I always had to shout at him to wait to have a strategy to follow and he normally stood by me as a protector in those games." – He started saying, with a smile in his face as he started remembering good memories.

\- "He even knew about my situation. The last time I spoke with him, he said that in a month he would be ready to rescue me from that." – He finished, looking a bit torn up, but his smile never wavered. It was something that I was grateful to that Kardak, he took care of giving a support that was invaluable to Marcus, even if it was only words.

\- "Grothnack?" – A deep voice with a tone of incredulity sounded, and for a moment we were a bit surprised, before recognising the one who said it, and it was the krogan, who was looking at Marcus with a surprise face that I never thought I would see on a krogan. But then my attention went to Marcus, who looked at the krogan with a paler face, and scared.

\- "How do you know that name?" – He said, getting up from his chair, possibly to run the hell out of the place if it was necessary. I was approaching my gun slowly, to defend Marcus from the krogan, although I was wishing that it wasn't necessary. Meanwhile, the krogan started to laugh a bit, before looking at Marcus with a big smile.

\- "Well, do you remember your plan to defend a single ship from three pirate's ships with distractions and a rival band of pirates in vicinity? I got from that skirmish alive thanks to that damn good plan, Grothnack." – The krogan said, and I could see that realization come down to Marcus, as he remembered something among these lines, but then he looked at the krogan with incredulity in his face.

\- "I remember… Wait, it was real that situation!?" – Marcus shouted, as I was surely disoriented and lost in the situation. When, how and why the heck Marcus got to contact and befriend a krogan of all things in the galaxy!? If there were any doubts, it were eradicated in form of a bone crushing hug from the krogan to Marcus, who looked like the air wasn't going to his lungs for a moment before he was released and put in front of the krogan, the krogan taking a good look at him.

\- "Hell yeah, that was a battle that I lived thanks to your idea." – Kardak said, before looking rather grim when he took a good look at the physical state of Marcus. – "They got worse… dam it!" – The krogan shouted, making a hit at the table in rage.

\- "Please, I was rescued and now I am safe. He rescued me and took me here. I need some recovery, but nothing big." – Marcus pleaded to the krogan, which sighed before looking at me, appraising me possibly.

\- "A damn turian had to rescue you. Well, at least you are out of that hell, and I will make sure that nobody gives you problems." – Kardak said, surprising me and Marcus, but in my case I was dreading at the fact that he got for free a damn krogan bodyguard which knew a lot of the past life of Marcus… Well, at least if some people of the past of Marcus showed up, they would be dead in an instant. A rule not spoken is that it wasn't a good idea to enrage a krogan, and this krogan would be instantly enraged if somebody tried to hurt Marcus anymore. Now it was how I was going to explain it to my captain…

Luckily, the food came this instant, and soon we started eating it. – "Well, how exactly did you contact Marcus? The long communication arrays aren't prepared after all." – I asked the krogan, trying to fill some gaps in how the krogan contacted Marcus. It was something like winning the lottery after all.

\- "That is. The long communications doesn't work yet, but the short is easy to hack from the ship. And at first, I was only checking on curiosity, but I started to chat with him, and things got rolling." – The krogan said with a smug smile, while in my mind was screaming that this wasn't going to fare well to the informatics department on the mission when I reported this. Outsmarted by a krogan, it wasn't going to do well…

But then, the look of delight; and I doubted the food was that good, of Marcus at having a friend he knew even if it wasn't on person was enough to erase some doubts about him. If he could manage to make a friend of a krogan; and displaying awesome tactical skills to save him if I heard them well, he could manage his work as an ambassador. At least he would not be in direct danger, since that type of danger would be dealt with by the krogan.

We finished eating, and started walking again, but this time we had the addition of the krogan. It was clear that I would have to make a call to make it safe they are prepared to have in account the krogan, so the stares increased for a moment before a glare from the krogan made all the stares go away to avoid retaliation from Kardak. Then, we made a stop on a shop of weapons, since Kardak wanted to check on something, and Marcus went inside with him, giving me the opportunity to make the call.

\- "Captain, here Nazarius speaking." – I spoke when the communication stablished.

\- "What happened, soldier?" – Asked the captain, surely thinking the worst that could happen. At least I knew that he was ready to take action if something happened.

\- "Well, to the meeting make place for a krogan. I don't know how, but Marcus made friends with one before we rescued him, since the krogan was using a short communication array to enter in the net of the planet. The krogan already acclaimed to be his bodyguard from now on." – I said, and waited for the captain to say something, as the silence in the line was lengthening.

\- "Are you fucking telling me that he went and made friends with a krogan of all things, without making a ruckus and the krogan is going to protect him for free!?" – The captain shouted with incredulity, ringing a bit my ears at the volume, but I sighed, as it was something I expected.

\- "I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't there the moment it happened, captain. And Marcus have some tactical skills as well. But at least the fact that he would be unprotected vanished itself. I doubt someone would dare to try to harm him in the presence of the krogan." – I said, trying to appeal that we would reduce the amount of budget spent to maintain security. And the fact that Marcus could have a krogan friend made wonders of his talent.

\- "Let's pray to the spirits that it doesn't explode in our faces… enough risks we are taking. Try to avoid more." – The captain said, resigned before cutting off the communication. Then, the voice of Marcus carried off… - "Kardak, are you sure is wise for me to have a gun?" – His voice said, and I had to put my hand in the face while groaning. It was going to be a long journey to the embassy…


	5. Meeting the Council

**Wow, lots of time have passed until I got this chapter ready. Sorry for the wait, I had a major writer block… Just to know that I am not going to abandon my stories, only trying to get past some things before I continue. Now, I am looking for Beta Readers for my stories. Now, enjoy!**

 _Nazarius POV_

After dealing with the shop assistant, now Marcus was the proud owner of a Predator M-3; a good weapon even if I wished that Marcus didn't have a weapon on his person. But I dare anyone to say no to a krogan who wanted someone to be protected… At least Marcus didn't seem to like having a weapon on him too, so that was something. After that, we went to another shop, this time one specialized in technology. If the krogan wanted to buy thing to keep Marcus safe, I wouldn't be less.

After pushing a lot; and dealing with the insecurities of Marcus about buying him more things, he had a basic shield which would let him get to cover in case it was needed, and some software to his omni-tool. It wasn't much things, more like purchasing some pack of first-aid kit with medi-gel for emergencies, being able to watch the local news and use the omni-tool as a flashlight; along an Incinerate to burn the enemies if he was in danger… I really doubted that Marcus would be able to hit someone with the gun until he had practice.

I looked at the time, and it was the moment to go to deal with the Council. – "Marcus, we have to go. It's time." – I said, and Marcus turned pale in an instant, but nodded. His eyes were determined, so maybe he was focusing, but the krogan looked rather angry at me, surely because the sudden condition of Marcus now.

\- "Go where?" – Kardak said, and his fingers twitched as his eyes narrowed. Really, a krogan battle-ready wasn't something I wanted to enter in the meeting, it could make everything go haywire and I wasn't going to let that happen… but Marcus started speaking before I could explain.

\- "Kardak, is fine. I am meeting the Council… I am the ambassador after all." – Marcus said, and Kardak looked incredulous at the news. Then, he looked at Marcus, and after a look, he sighed a bit defeated, surely identifying the same look as I saw on Marcus as one that; even if he wasn't ready, he would do his best to come out on top.

\- "Surely you have a plan, Grothnack." – Kardak said, and a smirk appeared in the face of Marcus, a look I never saw on him… Well, it was better than sullied or constantly worried about something, but it was strange to see it in his face now, and the way Kardak lifted an eyebrow at that, was a bit amusing.

\- "When do I go without a plan, Kardak? I am not you who always charges without a plan, and remember, I am always the one who have to shout at you to go to the right direction." – Marcus said with some cheek, and the fact that Kardak laughed at that, it was good to see the effect of a friend in Marcus. It was kind of refreshing, and it was better for Marcus being relaxed instead of worrying about everything. And the fact that Marcus had a plan… that was new, but maybe it will work out.

\- "Come on, better not make them wait." – I said, and restarted walking toward the rapidtrans to go toward the Tower of the Citadel. The fact that we had to squeeze inside them was something I didn't count, as the krogan occupied a lot of space inside. That was something I should have thought of, but as we finally reached the Tower, we just went outside and breathed to recover some air.

\- "Kardak, when was the last time you took a shower!? We nearly died inside that lift! – Marcus said, and the silence which followed was enough answer for both of us…

\- "Kardak… when we finish this, you will take a shower, whenever you want it or not." – Marcus and I said at the same time, and we both ignored the protest of Kardak about that. He WILL take a shower, even if I have to stun him and put him on the shower and drown him in cleaning products.

After this, we started going inside the tower, which was impressive and the typical open mouth of Marcus was present, so I just put my hand in the lower jaw, and pushed it up, receiving a glare from Marcus, but no comment about it. Kardak laughed at the interaction, before the lift reached the floor and started going toward the place where the Council were present, ready for the meeting.

Then, a turian from the Seg-C stopped Kardak and me. – "From this point, the human have to go there. The rest stay here." – He said, and Marcus paled a moment, but nodded, possibly determined to do this even if he was feeling vulnerable without someone he knew in his side. It was like fighting a war with only himself as a soldier.

\- "Kick their arses in the meeting." – Kardak said, and that made Marcus snort, before starting to put himself in front of the Council, with another politicians looking in curiosity. Then, Kardak turned to me, dead serious and not laughter in his expression; as he held himself with the hand ready to go for the shotgun in his back.

\- "He is bottling everything inside him. I know, enough times I had to force him to speak to me about his situation to know the signs. And he is in the breaking point." – Kardak said, and that made me start fearing what would happen in the meeting. It would be incredibly bad if Marcus had a breakdown in front of everyone.

\- "Do you think he will break there?" – I asked, but Kardak laughed at that, before turning serious again, and there wasn't a bit of laughter in his eyes. That in this krogan was usually rare from what I knew about him in the short time, so now I knew that I had to pay attention.

\- "He won't break in front of people. He is a master hiding everything in front of people, but alone…" - Kardak continued, and it was something that calmed my fears, but not entirely… because we would need to keep an eye on Marcus, in something akin to a suicide watch. And that wasn't something I would wish for anyone. And now, Marcus was going to confront the very people who could determine if his species was worthy of going to the space or not.

 _Marcus POV_

I was nervous… no, that was downplaying how I was feeling, I was plainly terrified. What would happen if I say something wrong? What if I make my species unworthy of being in the Citadel? What if they make me go back to Earth, to the hands of my father and those bullies bar criminals? There was so much in risk here, and I only had my omni-tool with the contents of my computer to convince them, and the knowledge of my species in general… It was going to be a hard battle here.

I could see the members of the Council, a turian with a look that indicated nothing good for me, an inquisitive asari that maybe I could win with some well said things, and the salarian… hell, I couldn't even read his face as I wasn't accustomed to them. Well, the lips were an indicator at least, but those eyes were hard to look at them without thinking funny things related to frogs… Shit, don't think of the character Umbridge of Harry Potter with that face…

\- "The Council is in session now. We would like to welcome Marcus, of the human race, to the Citadel." – The asari said, and it was clear that the battle started now. I would need to use everything, even things that… I doubted it would be good to show as there wasn't even created right now except in some shows and so on, but I could use them as a bargain point… God bless the anime and the imagination behind them.

\- "We want to know things about your planet and your species. The preliminary analysis of your planet doesn't look… good." – The turian councillor said, and with a snide remark to my current health state. I breathed, trying to control my nerves and make my voice steady enough to not show any sign of my current nerves, that in normal circumstances would make me go to the nearest bathroom possible and pass at least one hour inside… with losing weight.

\- "The way I was treated is not of consequence. I don't downplay the way they treated me, but it isn't common. There are laws that forbid the way I was treated, it was the circumstances around myself, if that is what didn't look good." – I said evenly, but the way the turian councillor looked at me, it was like he sucked a lemon. The asari looked at me with something akin to pity, and the salarian I couldn't read it. Before anyone could say anything, I started speaking again, to avoid interruptions.

\- "About my species, we are multicultural, so we have a lot of different beliefs, and that's the tip of the iceberg. We have different gastronomy, traditions, customs…" - I continued, but a hand was raised and I stopped. It was the turian again, and it was clear that he was going to be the front of this interrogation about my planet, or at least the part where he could try to find a fault to exploit.

\- "But that much differences surely have its detriment. As it is in the report, your planet is at war." – The turian said, and I sighed. It was something really natural for me that my planet is in that way, but for what I know, they will use everything they could to make my life very difficult to make a good standing in this place… And of course, I needed the help, so I was a bit tied in what I could say or do at the moment.

\- "That's true… But only in focused places, and is not affecting all the planet. Either way, even if we have some problems, we can adapt. And even then, is not something to worry about at the moment." – I said, trying to steer clear of that way. It wouldn't be good to keep it that way, I had to try to make better impressions than that. If I had to guess, now the expectations were that Earth was a place for warmongers and so on. I didn't want Earth to be compared to the krogans… not that they don't have good cualities, but being peaceful was not one of them.

\- "But what can your homeworld offer to the Citadel, when is it like that?" – Argued the Turian councillor… It was like a dog with a bone, he didn't want to let go until he received an answer he could quantify, instead of vague words and promises. In this case I respected and resented that, because it told me that he was a man of proof and results, but I resented it because it made my life more difficult right now.

\- "Well, one thing we have is imagination for a lot of things, for example… I want to ask about the military. Do you still have to see how to solve the problem of close quarter combat, even if you have good knowledge of martial arts or self-defence?" – I asked, preparing a video that probably would kill more than one stone if I played it well, but it was going to be a bet to try to do it well. I took the silence to take the floor, and so that I could try to impress them.

\- "What I am going to show you is a show they put on the net in my homeworld, but it surely give an idea of how to solve it. You are halfway there as it is, only need to try to adapt some more. Also, this show will let you hear some music of my planet, and entertainment. It's only about three minutes more or less." – I said, as I tried to link my omnitool to the projector. Finally, I connected it, and started the video, showing the Red Trailer of RWBY.

 _Kardak and Nazarius POV_

\- "Oh, man… This is going to be a good show." – Kardak said, with a smile on his face as he identified the music from the video. Narazius looked confused, but kept attention to the video, as he was surprised to see a little girl in that video, along with the music, not knowing what was to come right now.

 _Marcus POV_

I saw how the turian was unconvinced at the moment, with the music sounding and only showing Ruby covered in her red hood, in the winter forest and then I had to maintain a plain face while I was restraining myself from laughing at the surprise of his face at the Beowulfs, and then how Ruby was killing them. The rest of the councillors were like that too, but the asari was looking interested and the salarian was taking some notes…

When the video ended, there was silence, and then… - "All humans can do these things?" – The asari councillor asked, and I denied with my head. – "It's fiction, councillor. We humans don't have these kind of powers, but it can be explained either way how to achieve the same result, even if only some people can replicate the same effect." – I said, internally giving Monty Oum the respect of making things the most realistic possible early on the show.

\- "Then explain how that girl is able to wield that scythe, and how it works that weapon." – The turian said, challenging me. I smiled nastily at that… he is in the palm of my hand right now, and I was going to have fun with it… But without making an ass of myself, as this was a unique chance to gain some leverage. Maybe in the future add some trades or something like that if I could, but for the moment, I had to nail it.

\- "First, the girls capacities. You can replicate some of hers abilities with training, add biotics specialised only in increasing her speed, and you got it in a nutshell. And how she wields her scythe, she is the backslash of the sniper rifle, firing to add power to her slash, or sending her flying away or towards her enemies. As she is light enough, is possible." – I said, and left him with an open mouth, trying to process everything, before closing it and trying to look stern… and I caught a hint of approval in his look? That was so strange…

\- "About the weapon, is a sniper rifle mixed with a scythe. Using the scythe as a base, it only had to add the sniper part. It's more complicated than that, but it's like that." – I finished, as I was wishing that the meeting was over, with good results at least. The councillors started to speak between themselves, without me hearing them, so it increased my nervousness and the feeling that I could drop at any moment.

\- "We would like to ask more questions, but it will be now in a more private setting at a later date. You will have accommodations in the Presidium, and a stipend to live. We want to see noticeable results. This meeting is adjourned." – The asari councillor said, and I breathed, relieved that I didn't need to do anything else at the moment. I stepped out, only to see Kardak laughing at the face of Nazarius… Probably because he was still recovering from watching the trailer.

\- "Spirits…" - Nazarius said, before I started laughing a bit, making him start reacting better, and soon enough, I could see Septimus Talid coming here, probably to see about my accommodations and so on. I could see that he was amused, probably because the video and so on. But for now, I was finished and I could try to rest a bit more… And maybe try to see what the hell I was going to do to survive and make things better.


	6. New Day, New Problems

_Marcus POV_

I sighed, as I snuggled into the linens of my bed. I was so comfortable, and I didn't want to wake up and try to survive another day of bullies and the same shit every time I had to go to my degree. And I actually felt good too… Wait… Why am I feeling fine, not pain in my body? That made me open my eyes and check around… I wasn't in my home… I was in the Citadel, having to live my life now as an ambassador… and without an idea of how to make that stick.

\- "I just went from hell to another hell…" - I said to myself, as I got up from my bed, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. The water made my muscles relax and my mind get clearer, forgetting about everything for a moment, but soon I started to think again about it… It's not like I could promise anything from Earth, I didn't have that authority in my own world. But maybe I could use the anime and so on to stall for time, or even reach good deals.

I turned off the shower, and dried myself before grabbing the clothes of yesterday. They were comfy, and actual clothes that I actually liked. The clothes I had back home were always decided by my father, so the only thing I could do is namely select the colour. Not that it mattered at the end of things. When I started looking at the kitchen; now dressed, to look for something to eat as a breakfast, I received a ping on my omni-tool. I nearly forgot that I had that too.

I started trying to remember how to work it; even though I was able to remember at least to use it for things like turning on and off the water at the shower and opening the doors, and with a flick of my hand, soon enough I had displayed enough to read the message.

 _From Nazarius  
To: Marcus  
Message: Good morning, Marcus. Today we will begin your schedule as an ambassador. They prepared your office at the Presidium, and you must be there at 11:00. Please, be punctual. Kardak will escort you there._

 _Until later._

As I finished reading it, another message appeared.

 _From: Kardak  
To: Marcus  
Message: Wake up, Marcus! Don't bother with breakfast, we will grab something on the way to your new office. Just be ready to go in five minutes._

I sighed at that, as I went to grab the only other thing I had in physical format… a gun. It was called a Predator M-3; and I didn't have any experience in using it… nor another type of weapon. Maybe the most I could use is a kitchen knife… with luck in my side. If I knew how to defend myself, I wouldn't be in this situation after all… The other thing for my protection was a shield… not the normal type of shield, but a shield that just covered me and blocked bullets or so… and some type of software that could send flames to an enemy. So… at least I had a chance to hit something, even if my objective in a battle would be to flee.

I sat at the couch of my new apartment… And that was another thing that was strange. I had an apartment of my own, without problems or things like that, with better things than in my last home… The television for example, was bigger, and had better quality. Still, the apartment was lacking something, so for the moment for me it was the place where I would sleep until I customise it a bit.

Before I could even try to sit down to wait for Kardak, I received another beep from my omni-tool, but this time it was Kardak telling me that he was here already, and that I had to open the door. I sighed, and put my omni-tool just in the part of the mechanism to open the door. After a moment, it opened, and Kardak was smiling at me… never thought that I wouldn't find the smile of a krogan between intimidating and something to become happy to see… Well, when it wasn't a homicidal smile of course.

\- "Come on, we must hurry a bit if we want to take the breakfast." – Kardak said, before grabbing my arm and starting to drag me. I just let him take me, as I was still new in the Citadel. If I was to find my way to the Presidium and so on, the probability of getting lost was very high. The main problem now was… what would be a "proper" breakfast for a krogan?

 _Nazarius POV_

It was near the time they arrived, so I was checking again the equipment in the office. There wasn't much things in there, just some shelves to be filled with books, a desk with a computer, and some chairs to sit. It was a small office, but enough for him at the moment, and if things end well for Marcus, this would be just temporary.

Then, the doors opened and I found myself staring at Kardak carrying Marcus in his back. – "What happened?" – I asked worriedly, but then Marcus made a "burp" sound, the one thing that most of us do when filled to the brim with food… And Marcus wasn't accustomed to eat large quantities yet…

\- "He just ate breakfast… Should have gone to a place that serves less… "- Said Kardak, apologetic as he dropped Marcus in a chair, before Marcus got up and fled to a bathroom. The sound of vomit splashing the toilet was heard… Yeah, bad idea to let Kardak take Marcus for breakfast… I will have to ask what they did have, no sense of having a repeat if they go to the same place again.

\- "Kardak… Never again…" - I heard Marcus say, between deep breaths. Moments later, we heard a flush and saw Marcus getting out of the bathroom, a bit pale but better than before. Then, he looked around for the first time; as the only thing he saw when he entered was the toilet for obvious reasons.

\- "So… This is my new office." – Marcus said, and I nodded. He looked a lot better than yesterday, I remembered when he started panicking because the door couldn't stop opening and closing for a while until he learned the proper mechanism. It was a bit enlightening teaching someone new to all of this.

\- "Yes. This have the necessary equipment, but you can add to it later with your salary. The computer here will have all the things to check and will receive the mails from other people. Apart from it, make yourself home here." – I said, as Marcus reached to the computer and turned it on, starting to try to learn how to operate it.

\- "Do you have something in there?" – Kardak asked, while putting himself near the door. It seemed that he was going to be the bodyguard there, so it wasn't a bad thing if someone stupid tried to kill Marcus.

\- "For the moment, I don't have anything in there… It will be a while until something appears. No emails there too." – Marcus said, and then started to think a bit. He seemed like he was trying to find what to do, as he just staying inside the small office all day was a bad idea.

\- "Would be possible to ask for classes or to meet people by myself?" – Marcus asked, while typing something in the computer. It was something typical, and maybe some classes would be better for him, to get accustomed to everything.

\- "We could look for someone, but for some things we could try to teach you." – I said, and Kardak nodded. Then, I received a message… I was being recalled for training between other things, so I couldn't stay more time here today, or at least until lunch time.

\- "Sorry, I have to go. I will try to pass by later, but if you want to go home, remember to go with Kardak." – I said, before I went out of the office. I didn't want to go back there, but I had to deliver some reports, some paperwork, and apart from that, the typical training. I just wish that they didn't end up in troubles.

 _Marcus POV_

Never again I would go with Kardak to eat breakfast. The amount of food he did ask for breakfast was insane, and then he drops me that not eating it all would be an offense to the chef, so I just ate it all… leaving me queasy and wanting to vomit all the way to the office, with the Rapidtrans; I didn't remember exactly how they are called but at the moment I was cursing for the movements in the air. Finally, I just reached the bathroom and left my breakfast at the toilet.

And now, Nazarius had to go, leaving me without an ounce of an idea of what to do. It was the truth that I didn't have any meeting or something to do, but it's not like I could do much more for the moment. The main problem is that I had to obtain positive results for Earth before the communication array was completed. If not, I could end up in so much trouble than I had before.

\- "What is the plan, Grothnack?" – Kardak said, naming me as my nickname. It was better for me using it than my own name with him… Strangely enough. Grothnack; that nickname, was someone else. Someone else without problems, able to be free… And now, maybe I could obtain it, but the task for it was so… big.

\- "I don't have one… I don't know many facts, and without them, I am blind. I survived the Council meeting by sheer luck that they don't know better. I can't pull that again on them, they would think that Earth is only about brutes with imagination." – I said, and that was true. The ones at the council weren't stupid, and if I kept up showing videos, the most I could obtain would be addicted to series like RWBY or some anime. Not the ideal way to obtain benefits.

\- "Well, you got probably the turian with the idea of the weapons. Just exploit that." – Kardak said, and I sighed. That was a temporary measure, and well, it's not like I had the blueprints for that, neither the knowledge. The most I could do is show the people there the chapters when the weapon is wielded, but apart from it, I couldn't do much more.

\- "That was a desperate move, and you know it. I need to try to find something to exploit. Something they can't refuse or try to make me sign something that put Earth on a disadvantage." – I said, and it was just a headache that was too big. The most I could use was the music I had, and the anime shows, but apart from that, it was going to be a bit difficult to try to do things right.

\- "Maybe you are thinking too much? Remember in our role-play games that I had to plunge forward, before you had time to think a tactic." – Kardak said, and maybe he was right in this matter. I was thinking too much in the consequences, but after all, it's not only me who will be affected in this.

\- "Maybe, but think that in those games, the result didn't affect anyone in real life… nor the victims were millions." – I said, but then I received an email in my computer, so I checked it.

 _From: Councilor Tevos  
To: Ambassador Marcus  
Message: Welcome to your new office. I expect it to be what you would be expecting, but I would like to hold a meeting between us about some matters. If nothing is said, I will be by your office in an hour._

 _\- "_ Problem ahead… Councilor Tevos want to speak with me here… And I don't know how I am going to survive… Maybe it is nothing, but if things go wrong here, it will destroy my chances." – I said, and soon enough, a flick in my head made by a powerful finger of Kardak made my head go back and stop my panicked ranting.

\- "Just keep calm. Just leave destroying things literally to me. The speaking part and making deals is yours." – Kardak said, and I just sighed. It was going to be a long hour until she reached here, so I just started to organize my computer, making directories inside the computer to classify the things, and so on.

When I finished uploading all the data from the omni-tool to the computer, the door opened and the Councilor Tevos entered. – "Good afternoon, Ambassador Marcus." – She said with grace, and I got up from my chair, and smiled. I was good at faking smiles to transmit that nothing was wrong…

\- "Good afternoon, Councilor. Please, take a seat." – I said, offering a hand which she accepted, before taking both of us the seats. Kardak was still at the door, but he was joined by another asari, which by the looks they were just looking for a reason to kill each other…

\- "How was your first day at the Citadel?" – Tevos asked, with a soft smile.

\- "It was… confusing to say the least. So much new things, and I think I will find more yet. But it's being good. Thank you for preparing my office." – I said with another smile. I knew that with lies I would not go anywhere at the moment.

\- "I am glad. But I have come to speak about the terms of your stay at the Citadel, and for your race." – She said, and I immediately tensed.

\- "I am not going to accept anything that would put my own species in danger nor become slaves." – I said, glaring at her, but she laughed at that, like a joke I just pulled off.

\- "We are not going to do that. We aren't so uncivilised. We just need you clarify some of the conditions for you. Not your species in general." – She said, but I could sense danger ahead. She wasn't a councilor for nothing… and the worst is that she wasn't taking me as someone who can present a danger. She just knew that she could crush me in a moment.

\- "What are the conditions?" – I asked, resigned to the possible conditions that I needed to fulfil, as she had the upper hand in this.

\- "Nothing too bad, Ambassador. First condition is that you need to learn about everyone, our traditions, our laws… Second condition is that you must report your progress without fault once a month, until the communication array is established." – She said, and I frowned at the second one.

\- "What progress are you talking about?" – I asked, to clarify what she meant, since it wasn't good that point if I wanted to make some deals that I didn't want for them to know. Not that I wanted to enter into illegal situations, but why close the door.

\- "The progress of the first condition. It's not useful to have you try to learn everything if you can't seem to hold onto the knowledge. The third one is that we hold meetings like this once in a while, just to speak and maybe make cultural exchange." – She said, and I just have to rethink about this… She wasn't making any absurd condition on myself, and didn't want to make something bad…

\- "Alright… Seems good enough, but… Those conditions are hardly something difficult as I was planning to do most of it, so why are you helping me with that?" – I asked, and she laughed again, before making a predatory grin. It was the one grin that you could see before losing your life, even if you were still alive after seeing that.

\- "It works well enough for us. If your learn enough, you can make good enough deals later on, and that means the asari and the council can profit from it when the time comes. A puppet is not the best business partner, after all." – She said, and I believed her. If she wanted to control me completely, she could have done so already. After all, I didn't have any power inside the Citadel. All the power and things I had, were because they wanted me to have them. And she was clearly reminding me of that.

\- "I understand. Maybe you will like to listen to a song from Earth. The violin is impressive, and I think you will like it." – I said, putting the song of Lindsey Stirling; Transcendence in Orchestral setting, on my Omni-tool.

\- "I would like that." – She said, and as the first notes of the song started to play, it was like the first deal to make human accepted was signed… with its own set of problems.

 **So sorry for making you wait for this chapter. So much happened, and well, I am trying to make my own videogame storyline and so on in between. I will try to write more of my stories whenever I can. And about the Councilor being so "soft"; is not that. She knows that she can serve Marcus on a silver plate whenever she wishes. But after all, she is the most less dismissing of the councillors, so she wants to obtain positive results in the long run to improve the standing of the asari. In a summary, politics are so annoying... Well, I continue to look for a Beta Reader to read this story along others to correct me, and possibly make better my chapters. See you soon!**


	7. Difficult Meeting

**Thank you for your reviews, and I expect you enjoy this chapter. Things get difficult for Marcus.**

 **mrfirecool: Thank you, I appreciate that you enjoy Kardak.**

 **HyperionATLAS: Thank you for that, I expect that you continue enjoying the story.**

 **Guest: Thank you for pointing that. I don't remember everything, and I will change that in my chapter when I have the chance. And don't be afraid of pointing more things, because seriously, I can't think of everything and I can miss a lot of things.**

 **And now that I think of it, the Councillors I am using, I can't use the same Salarian Councillor, because their short lifespan. The original councillor from the Mass Effect will appear in time, but for the moment the Salarian Councillor will be another one. And I am still seeking for someone to be the Beta Reader for this story, both for how I write this, and to check I don't make miss things**

 _Marcus POV_

When the song finished, Tevos had to go, leaving the office to leave me alone with Kardak. At the same time, we sighed heavily, trying to relax a bit after all of this. Maybe Tevos didn't say much things, but the implying of the results if I didn't live up to their expectations were clear enough.

\- "Don't know how you take all of that, Grothnack. I would have shot her in the moment she annoyed me." – Kardak said, and I nodded at that. It was like I was in front of an exam, only that failing that exam would lead to the bad ending in a videogame with the wrong move.

\- "I don't know it myself, Kardak… Now I am going to learn lot of things in a reduced time set… It's like going to a cram school all the time. Not going to lie, it's going to suck." – I said, before leaning more in my chair. At least it was comfy enough, because I was predicting I would stay in that chair a lot of my time there for the next stage of my life.

\- "At least it's over…" - Kardak said, and I just put my hand in my eyes as I heard a "ping" from the computer.

\- "I just jinxed it, right?" – Kardak said with of being embarrassed by jinxing my day even more. I sighed, as I just opened the email, trying to relax a bit before trying to kill Kardak on sight.

 _From: Councilor Sparatus  
To: Ambassador Marcus  
Message: I want more details about the weapon you presented yesterday on the meeting. Please, arrive at the Seg-C headquarters as soon as your schedule allows._

\- "Yes, now we have to go to Seg-C… The Councilor Sparatus want more details about the RWBY weapons." – I said to Kardak, and he nodded. I just wished I had some chocolate to eat in between, as I needed something to recover from the meeting with Tevos. At least some things from Earth still applies on the rest of the galaxies or universe. The women are scary.

\- "To think you would make them become interested in a weapon from a series. But… there are some that are impossible to recreate." – Kardak said, and I sighed at that. Maybe I could put forward the weapons of Ruby, Blake, even Phyrra maybe. But I really doubted I could put through the weapon of Coco… because how do you explain to them how can a handbag transform into a gatling gun?

\- "I know… I will try to put only a selection of them. But before I do that, I will try to obtain a contract or something to give me a benefit." – I said, as I got up after I turned off the computer, and let Kardak lead me to the Seg-C… In the meantime, I just put some music to hear while walking, trying to relax myself a bit.

 _After a while and a Rapidtrans later_

The first impression I got when I stepped out of the Rapidtrans, was that the Seg-C was similar to a police station. The only difference was the technological aspect and that I was the only human in there, as the rest were mostly turians and some asari and quarians maybe. I went to the reception, trying to stay calm, but I was wishing to have other type of clothing… having this two days in a row would make for bad first impressions after all.

\- "Hello… I want to meet with Councilor Sparatus. He sent me a mail which said that I had to be here whenever my schedule allowed it." – I said to the receptionist; an asari, which started to check on a computer after giving me a nod. To her credit, she didn't stare at me a long time. I was still feeling the gazes ALL the Seg-C was giving me. I knew that I was a new species at the Citadel, but this was a bit… embarrassing.

\- "Yes, please go to the Executor Kryik office. They are waiting for you." – She said, and a beep sound in my Omni-tool claimed my attention, showing me a map of the place, and a point where it told me where to go. I looked at Kardak, who at least looked a bit sheepish.

\- "I forgot to tell you that function." – Kardak said, and I sighed, starting to move before a queue started forming. Kardak followed me, but it was clear to me that this setting was bad for us… in a way that if we did something that wasn't good in the book of Sparatus, we would end up in prison or things like that.

We reached the door, and I used the Omni-tool to call inside, giving a sign before entering myself. Proper courtesy and all that. I saw the Councilor Sparatus, waiting along another turian; this one in a uniform, but not less intimidating. At least I knew they were going to intimidate me, all this setting just smelled like that.

\- "Good afternoon, Councilor Sparatus, Executor Kryik." – I said, extending my hand in greeting, and I received both hands of the turians before taking a seat. Now it was my turn to stay silent, while Kardak was waiting at the door, but again, with his hand maybe itching for the shotgun.

\- "Now that we are here, I would like to obtain the most possible data for those weapon. Just sign them over, and we are finished." – Kryik said, pulling out a paper which appeared to be a contract of sorts. But I didn't make a move to sign anything.

 **(I recommend to put the OST Pursuit – Wanting to Question of Phoenix Wright xD)**

\- "Sorry, but I am not going to sign anything like that." – I said, after giving a look at it. It was simply a renounce for all the profits I could achieve with this. If I wanted to have at least more things to battle in the long way, I couldn't just give the only weapon I had at the moment.

\- "Of course you are going to sign it. Or do you think that the medical attention you received is going to be free of charge? It cost supplies that could save another life." – Kryik said again, and I just had to bite my lip to stall for time. That was right, I just didn't factor the medical bill of all of this, nor the equipment of my office. If they wanted a repayment, they could make life my life more difficult.

\- "In first place, that is not possible, or the conditions made by the Councilor Tevos would have already said that I had to pay the amount necessary of the treatment. So you can't pull it now to make me sign this." – I countered, and I could hear a curse word from Kryik, and… maybe a chuckle from Sparatus? No, he was before like a dog with a bone in the Council meeting, so I was probably in a delirium about that.

\- "What do you want?" – Kryik asked, giving me his worst glare. A growl was heard, and I glared at Kardak, that went a step back, as he was starting to perceive things going a bit dangerous. But the wrong move, and the deal will be off… This was what the weapon dealers had to do every time? I didn't want another repeat.

\- "I want this to be standardised to my species when they come here. All the research made will be shared between us. Both will benefit from this." – I said, looking at the Councilor. He looked thoughtful, as he was considering the possibilities. And I was sweating right now, as I recalled that Nazarius just transferred everything from my computer to the omni-tool, and that he already looked through the files. It was a matter of time to check on those videos, and then the deal would be over.

\- "You know that we have all these files, right?" – Sparatus said, and it was my turn to curse in my head. I had to reply quickly… why they wanted to make me sign a renounce of this? They could just have used it, but they wanted me to renounce the ownership of this. So… maybe it was because I made it public.

\- "I know. And I know that if you did use them without my renounce of ownership, you could end up breaking a law of sorts, as this idea was put in front of the council as a human idea. That wouldn't end up well if you did it, so you want me to renounce this to exploit it for your species." – I answered, expecting some type of retaliation, and Kardak was near to just start opening the path by shooting the shotgun.

\- "But how do you plan on making it a conjunct research, if only we would be able to research this? You are alone in here." – Sparatus continued pressing, and he hit in the weak point in my defence. I couldn't put a conjunct research because I am the only human here, and no doubt, I don't have the qualifications to do that type of research.

\- "Yes, I am alone. But your people are working already on the communication array. I doubt it would be painful for you to wait until I contact them to do that." – I said, as that was my only route possible for the moment. I had to stall for time before they wanted to progress the project, and I had no doubt that they had me since the moment I stepped here. They knew that was my only option.

\- "And what would you do to make us wait that time? It's not like you can offer much." – Sparatus said, condescending… That really pissed me off, but it's not like I can blow up in anger, that would only make things worse. And the worst fact is… that he is right. I can't just give anything at the moment.

\- "I…" - I tried to say, but I couldn't say anything. I couldn't think of anything to get out of this mess. I couldn't offer anything useful to them, because I only had videos… videos that they were going to appropriate anyway.

\- "What about a schematic for the weapon everyone saw?" – Kardak said in a grumble, and everyone looked at him in surprise, and slightly agape at that. I nearly forgot he was there… and that was saying something because he was huge and bound to make noise.

\- "Come on, you know I am an engineer. You made me watch that show, and the weapon interested me, so I made a schematic prototype. Just enough to start trying to develop something else." – Kardak scoffed, and I just laughed weakly. The Councilor and the Executor recovered, and started talking between themselves. The translator on my omni-tool for some reason, didn't translate the whisperings…

\- "We agree to wait to do the conjunct research in this matter, if we could research that schematic and you allow to the use of the material provided by said vid." – Sparatus said, with a glare in the direction of Kardak. It was clear that this was the best we could get out of this meeting, and I agreed to it immediately, accepting the talon offered; because turians had talons instead of hands, to seal the deal. Kardak turned on his omni-tool and sent the schematic to the Executor.

 **Turn OFF the OST here, please.**

\- "I will tell you the results from this schematic. If the results ends up in positive, we will speak again." – Sparatus said, dismissing us. I just nodded and went out of there, trying to relax a bit after all of that. The turians were… intense in the meaning of intimidation and pressing their points home. Ruthless maybe, but all the things made reason.

\- "Kardak… you just saved my arse." – I said, when we were in route toward the Rapidtrans. I just wanted to relax a bit before trying to do anything else, because I doubted my mind could resist anything more in this moment.

\- "Well, you saved me more than once. You are just trying to catch up to them, with few resources. Just give yourself time." – Kardak said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. I just wished to know in what situations I helped him… Because I spoke to him about a lot of things, and I couldn't remember what was he referring to.

\- "I know… But the thing is that I need to obtain things to make "human". The weapons of that series is the only thing I have right now. And I don't want to sell my body to the salarian councillor for medical probes. And again, probably they already did when they treated me, so it's a moot point." – I said, wishing for something to help me in obtaining better results.

\- "I am sure you will think of something." – Kardak said, and I sighed… Well, I supposed that I could ask the salarians to help me with the medical part of my body here, as I could end up in every sickness I could grab here, because I don't have the vaccines to avoid those things. And I needed to check up in how the biotic part could work.

\- "I think I have something, but first I need to check up on my health and so on. I am supposed to have biotics, but I have to receive an operation first and so on… I don't think it's going to be pretty, and maybe I could make ground to put forward countermeasures to this…" - I said, as I picked my omni-tool, trying to type a message. It was a bit hard, but soon enough, I had the message ready.

Now it was time to see if it will be useful, or will explode in my face… but at least, I tried.


End file.
